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Upgrade or buy new? (Resolved)

Upgrade Parts HP

Best Answer iammykyl , 24 January 2016 - 06:22 PM

SAOdeathgun Unfortunately you will not be able to upgrade that computer to play games on, even if you move the MB to a new case.   Biggest issue is it is only powered by a power adaptor w... Go to the full post »


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#1
SAOdeathgun

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Hey guys I'm kinda a noob when it comes to issues like this but i need ideas on what to do. So i have a HP pavilion desktop AMD A8 series 8Gig with 1terra bite hard drive. 

 

Here is the link to the website with all the specs: http://support.hp.co...ument/c04755753

 

So i want a gaming desktop and i know this one in not something to play on. I know i tried it and failed. I understand that it has a graphics that is intergraded and that theres not much to upgrade. My question is..... Should i upgrade the whole mother board and graphics card and just add the extra parts to it or just get a whole new computer? I don't have a lot of money so i wanna know the best way to upgrade.

 

I you guys think i should upgrade the mother board and graphics then can you recommend what i can purchase that is compatible with the other parts.??? 

 

I know i will have to get another tower case but thats ok. I have plenty of friends offering to give me one if i need it . 

 

i just need the best options and cheapest ones. I mean if i have to spend 100-300 its ok. I just don't want to spend 500+ on a whole new one. 

 thanks guys i appreciate it!!!


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#2
iammykyl

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✓  Best Answer

:welcome:SAOdeathgun
Unfortunately you will not be able to upgrade that computer to play games on, even if you move the MB to a new case.   Biggest issue is it is only powered by a power adaptor which would not be able to support a discrete GPU.   The CPU, would get bottlenecked by a GPU upgrade and could not be changed as it is soldered in place.
If your friends have other hardware the would be generous enough to gift you, we may be able to configure a build for you, i.e. SATA HDD, optical drive, 450w or greater PSU.
A costly part of even a budget build is the OS, aprox $100.


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#3
Mac29

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Unfortunately a lot of those brand boxes have proprietary components and you can't switch out pieces/upgrade. Other than buying a used system, not inherently a bad idea, you might try building a system. I'm thinking of dropping a 4 core xeon into an older hp desktop and adding a better PSU and card but it won't last very long but will be able to game.

 

Obviously you're wanting to play state-of-the-art games so that gets right into the endless "which cpu/which gpu should I buy"? A case is a start. So you'll want to know what size mobo will fit, how big a video card will the case take. I'd suggest you look into joining some sites' mailing lists for specials b/c you can get components around holidays and make significant savings. Also if you go that route you'll want to buy everything at once to verify each piece works (hopefully no RMAs). You can get a really cheap 'basic' mobo and ram is dirt cheap again : )  so with good budgeting you might be able to for under your limit. Don't know if you have an lcd but good-enough PSU's are inexpensive too. Biggest headache might be getting a cpu and card that'll keep up w/your pals.

 

Honestly you can build a better system yourself (beefier, better quality parts) just by getting some advice. While you can game on Linux (zero cost OS) most people game using MS (for pc). If you are a student you can score an academic (free) OS, at least you could before Windows 10 (google DreamSpark). Enthusiast sites will also have used parts, many of which are in good working order and sellers have a rating system w/scores (I forget what they call it).

 

Personally I've been toying w/the idea of an i3 (maybe $125), mobo ($60-150), some DDR3 or DDR4 and better card for less than $225 or so and retiring my ol' workhorse. I recently picked up a card that's almost good enough for $60 and couldn't pass it up. Under 500 should be very do-able.


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#4
iammykyl

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Gday Mac29.

A budget build done for another member.  > http://uk.pcpartpick...yl/saved/hKyhP6

Asrock, and others, made available modified EFI for overclocking non K Skylake CPUs, > http://overclocking....formance-tests/


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